Stat Attack: Hurricanes (42) v Highlanders (22)

The Hurricanes 22nd victory against the Highlanders last Friday is a new record for the number of times they have beaten another Super Rugby side: Previously the record was shared with the Chiefs whom the Hurricanes have beaten 21 times.

• By Peter Marriott

The Hurricanes concluded their Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign last weekend against the Highlanders. Some statistics from the match below.

The Hurricanes now prepare for the Trans-Tasman competition.

They play the Waratahs in Sydney on Friday 14 May, the Rebels in Wellington on Friday 21 May, the Force in Napier on Friday 28 May, the Brumbies in Canberra on Saturday 5 June and the Reds in Wellington on Friday 11 June.

Round 10 v Highlanders: Won 41-22

The Hurricanes record against the Highlanders is now played 37, won 22, lost 15 and drawn none.

This win was the Hurricanes 150th in all Super Rugby matches (256) played in New Zealand. For the record the Hurricanes have won against the Blues (18 times), Brumbies (seven), Bulls (six), Cheetahs (five), Chiefs (21), Crusaders (13), Force (six), Highlanders (22), Jaguares (one), Kings (two), Lions (11), Rebels (four), Reds (10), Sharks (eight), Stormers (six), Sunwolves (two), and Waratahs (eight).

The 41 points scored by the Hurricanes were the most they have scored in 16 Super Rugby Aotearoa matches. Their previous highest score was 34, against the Crusaders at Christchurch last year.

The Hurricanes won their first home match of the season: at their fourth attempt. Previously their worst starts to a season, after four matches, were L W L L (in 1996), L L W L (1998), L W L L (1999) and L L W L (2012).

The Hurricanes six tries took their total in all matches against the Highlanders to 111: second only to the Crusaders (120), and ahead of the Blues (109).

For the second time in eight matches the Hurricanes were not the first side to score. In the first match of the season, against the Blues, the Blues scored and it was not until the 38th minute the Hurricanes went ahead.
The Hurricanes lost. In this match against the Highlanders they scored first but the Hurricanes took the lead in the eighth minute. They were behind at halftime but shortly after took the lead again which they held
until the finish.

Julian Savea appeared in his 17th match to equal the record for most matches played for the Hurricanes against the Highlanders. Beauden Barrett and TJ Perenara have also played 17 times against that franchise.

Pepesana Patafilo made his debut off the bench to become the 270th player to appear in a match for the Hurricanes. He is the sixth debutant this year and 17th to play his first match against the Highlanders.
Of the six new players, four of them have made their first appearance at Sky Stadium: one in each of the four matches played at home.

Patafilo, and Brayden Iose, both played in their first match at Sky Stadium: a total of 207 different players have now made at least one Super Rugby appearance on this home ground.

Pepesana Patafilo, Iose and Cameron Roigard, all played their first match against the Highlanders.They bring the number of those who have represented the Hurricanes against the Highlanders, to 210.

Dane Coles received his first yellow card of the season: the eighth in total for the Hurricanes. Seven of those who were awarded yellow cards are forwards. One is a back.

Of the Hurricanes try scorers, it was the first for Brayden Iose (his maiden try in just his second appearance). Du’Plessis Kirifi and Salesi Rayasi also scored their first try against the Highlanders. Dane Coles scored his second try against them and 23rd overall, Ngani Laumape scored his sixth against the franchise and 46th overall (in Super Rugby) and Devan Flanders scored his second-ever try, both of which have been against the Highlanders and both at Wellington.

Brayden Iose became the 151st player to score a Super Rugby try for the Hurricanes. Earlier in the season,Luke Campbell became the 150th different player to register a try: against the Chiefs, also at Wellington.
A total of 119 players have not scored a try for the Hurricanes.

Jordie Barrett kicked 11 points to take his total in all matches against the Highlanders to 59 points. Barrett also brought up 200 points at Westpac/Sky Stadium (205) which places him in third position on the all-time point scorers list at the venue after brother Beauden (589 points) and David Holwell (226 points). Jordie’s 11 points also took his tally in all Super Rugby matches to 450. It should be noted Jordie’s figures relate only to Super Rugby and do not include the 11 points he kicked against the British and Irish Lions in 2017.

Barrett’s single penalty against the Highlanders took the number kicked against all opposition sides at home venues to 359: exactly the same number kicked by the Hurricanes in away matches.

That Barrett penalty was also the 152nd in all home matches against New Zealand sides, the same number which have been kicked by all the other New Zealand sides against the Hurricanes at their home venues.

And, Jordie Barrett’s penalty was the 500th for the Hurricanes in all matches in New Zealand. A total of 21 different players have kicked at least one penalty goal in New Zealand and Beauden Barrett is at the top of the list with 125 of them. Next up is David Holwell with exactly 100 followed by Jordie Barrett who has 45.

The Hurricanes have conceded exactly 4000 points in all of their home matches played. There have been 176 so far and they have conceded an average of 22.7 points in each of those home matches.

Over the course of eight matches, the Hurricanes were awarded 84 penalties and by coincidence, conceded 84 penalties. The sole goal-kicker, Jordie Barrett, attempted 20 of them and landed 16 at a success rate of 80.0%. Opposition kickers attempted 14 and landed 10 at a success rate of 71.4%.

Over the eight Super Rugby Aoteraroa matches the Hurricanes averaged 47.4% of possession and 45.6% of territory.

After eight matches Jordie Barrett remains the only player to have been on the field for the maximum number of minutes (642). Next up is Ngani Laumape (607 minutes) followed by Reed Prinsep with 580 minutes.

Barrett and Laumape, together with Tyrel Lomax, are the only three players to have started in all eight matches.

Dane Coles led the Hurricanes for the 29th time to register his 20th win, after having lost his three previous matches in charge.

Four members of the Highlanders team were former Hurricanes players: Bryn Evans (25 matches between 2009 and 2011), Ash Dixon (15 between 2013 and 2014), Hugh Renton (two in 2017) and Nehe Milner-Skudder (35 between 2015 and 2018). In fact, the last Super Rugby match Milner-Skudder played anywhere was for the Hurricanes in their Semi-final against the Crusaders at Christchurch on 28 July 2018.

Ash Dixon’s try was his third against his old team: he also scored in the match at Dunedin in 2019 and again in 2020. In 2013 he scored a try for the Hurricanes against the Highlanders in Wellington.

Josh Dickson and Jona Nareki both scored their first try against the Hurricanes.

Referee Ben O’Keeffe has now controlled 15 matches involving the Hurricanes. They have won eight of them and lost seven. The first match O’Keeffe was in charge was also between the Hurricanes and the Highlanders: the Hurricanes won and after four matches now, with Ben O’Keeffe blowing the whistle, the score is two wins each.

The Hurricanes overall record in all Super Rugby matches is played 356, won 201, lost 149 and drawn six.

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